Easter Island Tour

A Chile For Less Representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your comfortable Easter Island hotel to relax and enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.

After a delicious breakfast at your hotel, you will depart for a half-day excursion to Ahu Tahai and the Anthropological Museum. Ahu Tahai is the site on the western shores of the island where the moais show unusual and unique characteristics.  One moai has eyes and a topknot for example. Another interesting feature is that while most moai are similar in size and shape, these moais vary significantly.  This presents an interesting puzzle for archeologists who try to decipher the reason these statues show different characteristics from both one another and all other moai.  On your way back to your hotel, you will stop at the anthropological museum which has excellent descriptions of island life both historically and today.

In the afternoon you will visit Ahu Akivi, Puna a Pau, and the cave Te Pahu.  Ahu Akivi is another unique ahu composed of seven moai. Whereas most moai are located along the coast with their backs to the sea, these moai are located inland and face the sunset.  The site offers sweeping views of the western part of the island and is a perfect spot to photograph both the moais and the island landscapes.

From here you will head to Puna Pau, a small quarry located on the outskirts of the principal quarry on Easter Island, and the sole source of the red scoria rock that they used to make the topknots for the moai. After you visit the quarry, you will head to the caves where the island’s inhabitants once lived.  The caves are actually hollowed out empty lava tubes and are pretty sizable. In the early evening you will return to your hotel to relax and spend the evening as you wish.

After a hearty breakfast you will depart for Rano Raruku Volcano, on the southern tip of the island.  The volcano’s crater is full of pooled rain water and lush vegetation and is easily the most beautiful on the island. The rock quarry on the outer edges of the crater offers some of the most striking views on the entire island. From here you can walk to the quarry where almost 400 moai lie scattered across the verdant hills.

From here, you will head to the largest ahu on the island, Ahu Tongariki where 15 moai face the sunset. These statues were originally toppled during the civil wars on the island when rival clans competed for resources.  A tsunami in the 20th century swept across the island and moved the moai inland, but they have since been restored and re-erected.

After you enjoy your bagged lunch, you will descend down from the hills and visit the white coral sand beach of Anakena.  There are two ahus here, one with a single moai and one with six. Anakena is one of the two beaches on all of Easter Island and an important spot for the Birdman rituals. You will return to your hotel in the early evening to relax after your long day exploring Easter Island.

After breakfast you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight back to mainland Chile or to your next destination.

• Three nights in Easter Island in hotels based on US standards
• Guided visits with English-speaking tour guides
• All transfers and entrance fees
• All breakfasts